[gothic-l] Goths and Scandinavia

[finnestorp]

The connection between Goths, Götar and Gutar can not be decided by 
historians. Having spoken to leading Swedish archeologists and some 
polish i belive that this short summary from Kaliff gives you an 
indication on where science stand in this issue today. Kaliff, 
Anders. 2001. Gothic Connections. Contacts between eastern 
Scandinavia and the southern Baltic coast 1000 BC – 500 AD. 
Occational Papers in Archaeology 26. Uppsala.
Different finds from archaeological investigations in eastern Sweden 
show evidence of close contacts with the Baltic coastal area on the 
continent, and further towards the south-east. This is visible in the 
find material from the Bronze Age onwards. Swedish rescue excavations 
in the past few years have contributed with material for the study of 
such contacts. From the Bronze Age onwards, there are signs of 
contacts between eastern Sweden and areas in modern Poland and 
eastern Germany and also with areas in the Baltic states. This is 
evident in material from several sites in eastern Sweden. Pottery as 
well as special house types and graves show contacts with the 
Lusatian culture, but also with more distant areas. These cultural 
elements fit well into a pattern of long-distance cultural contacts 
during the Bronze Age, probably maintained by an élite in society. 
These contact routes across the Baltic sea seem to have continued in 
a similar way during the Early Iron Age. During this period, some 
grave structures and objects demonstrate cultural contacts between 
Scandinavia and the Wielbark culture in Poland. Such finds have 
traditionally been connected with Jordanes´ Getica, and its account 
of a migration of Gothic people from Scandinavia. In modern research, 
the theory of a massive migration has generally been abandoned. The 
Wielbark culture is generally believed to have developed from earlier 
cultures in the same area. Research of recent years have more often 
focused on questions regarding a Gothic identification with a Nordic 
origin, as possibly invented during the 4th century or as a genuine 
tradition in the form of a myth. However, this does not explain 
archaeological evidence for contacts during earlier periods. A 
reasonable explanation for similarities in the material cultures can 
be that they are products of long-term contacts, perhaps originating 
in connections between the Lusatian culture and other urnfield groups 
on the continent and eastern Scandinavia already during the Late 
Bronze Age – Early Iron Age. Regular contacts between high ranking 
groups in different geographic areas could eventually have developed 
into a close relationship between certain groups of the Wielbark 
culture and groups of people in Scandinavia, visible in similarities 
in material culture, language and burial customs. The archaeological 
record could indicate that Jordanes´ history concerning the origin of 
the Goths was based on an oral tradition with some sort of real 
background. 





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